Innocent Reminder
by Ultrawoman
Summary: A twist on the scene in 5.11 Damage when Spike finds Dana in the basement. The crazy Slayer has the memories of the other Chosen One's who have lived and died before her...shouldn't that include a certain Sunnydale blonde?


A/N : A twist on the scene in AtS 5.11 Damage when Spike finds Dana in the basement. First little bit has dialogue stolen from the eppy!_  
(Disclaimer : Joss owns the characters. Stolen parts of 'Damage' were written by Steve S DeKnight and Drew Goddard)_

Innocent Reminder

"You're a real sack of hammers, aren't you?" Spike sighed, feeling bad for the girl before him, despite her earlier attack "Hey...don't worry" he said, trying to make her feel better, "I used to date a girl who wasn't all there"

"Heart and head" Dana repeated like a mantra, "Stab the heart, cut off the head, only way to be sure"

"That's Slayer talk, ain't it?" the vampire checked, not liking where this was going at all.

"Keep cutting till you see dust" Dana muttered as Spike carefully approached her, hoping to seem sympathetic and non-threatening.

"Right, let me explain" he said calmly "You got visions, right? Slayer memories kickin' around in your head, which is tough cos it sounds like you're past midnight on the crazy clock anyway, but..."

"Please don't" she interrupted, looking scared, "I have to get home to my son, to my Robin"

"Robin?" Spike echoed, "Oh, hey, you're talkin' about Nikki" he realised, "the Slayer I offed back in..." the look on Dana's face told him it was not good things she was 'remembering', but then why should it be. He'd killed Nikki Wood, just as he'd slaughtered the girl in China and so many innocents that didn't even have Slayer strength to defend themselves, "Yeah, you probably don't want to think about that, pet" he tried, but it was too late.

"William the Bloody" she ground out in disgust, looking reading to pounce and stake him.

"No, no, that's not gonna lead anywhere good" Spike told her, "I'm not gonna hurt you, luv, least I don't wanna have to. Whatever you think you know about me, I got a soul now, fight for the good guys, right?" he said fast, hoping something would sink in if he just stayed calm, kept talking, trying to make her feel less threatened.

"Spike?" she said, squinting at him as if something was obscuring her vision.

"That's right, pet" he nodded slowly, wondering if she was still channelling Nikki or someone else. He hadn't told her his name, she had to be pulling this from her scrambled memory banks somewhere.

"Things are different now" she said, taking a step forward, "You have a soul" she smiled, "You can be a good man"

There was something about the way she was looking at him, something frighteningly familiar as she came towards him.

"Buffy" he said softly, "Got a little of her in there too, eh luv?"

"You left me" Dana said, reaching out a shaking hand to his cheek, "I told you I loved you, and you still left me"

"No, pet" Spike said too quietly, "I didn't leave you" he shook his head as he took her hand from his face and held it in his, "See, what you think you know, the memories you have, they aren't yours" he said carefully, thumb rubbing the back of hand, eyes locked on hers hoping to keep her calm, "What you're seeing in that pretty little head of yours, that's memories of another woman...the woman I love" he said, suddenly realising just how true it still was, and how much it hurt to realise Buffy thought he'd left her, on purpose.

Dana looked puzzled, her brow wrinkling as she thought about what he was saying.

"It's okay though" he assured her when she looked a little panicked, "No need to fret, cos y'know we can help you...You trust me, right, pet?" he asked her, and her eyes hardened.

"Never" she ground out, just like Buffy used to do before. Her hand in his twisted to grab his arm and hauled him forward, throwing him across the ground.

"You little minx!" Spike yelled, trying to fight back without using too much force. Whatever she was, she was still a scared young girl. He hadn't been lying when he told her he didn't want to have to hurt her. The fact that he knew she had some of Buffy's memories in there gave him a little hope. Maybe if he could just say the right thing, he could reach her again.

"If there is any part of Buffy in that scrambled head of yours pet, you know I'm not dangerous!" he yelled as he managed to hold her at arms length, "Spike not dangerous, safe now, get it?" he repeated as she met his eyes.

"Safe" she nodded slowly, "Safe in your arms" she said softly, stepping into his embrace.

Spike was a little stunned but figured having to hug her was better than having the crap beaten out of him. He rubbed her back awkwardly as she buried her head in his shoulder and cried like a child.

"Hey now, come on, luv" he said quietly, so strangely reminded of holding Dawn this way so many times in those one hundred and forty seven days when Buffy was gone.

"Spike!" a voice bellowed from the door, "Dana!"

The girl's head shot up from the vampires shoulder and she scrambled to get away from him and face the intruder.

"Angelus" she hissed when she saw him.

"Oh, bugger me" Spike cursed as he realised what was happening, "No, pet, Angel remember?" he said, holding onto her arm and making her look at him, "Buffy knows it, that means you do too" he said, fixing his eyes on hers once again.

"Angel?" she said uncertainly, "Buffy knows, I know, but...it's not me, it's wrong" she was soon crying again and Angel hovered by the door uncertain what to do for a moment. Dana's eyes shifted across the room took in her surroundings and her own memories pushed through.

"Bad place, bad things happen here" she said, shaking her head, "Hands and colours and pain, so much pain..." she pushed her temples with her fingers as if trying to bore a hole, get rid of the memories, her own and others, that she wished she didn't have.

"Wes now!" Angel called and two tranquilliser darts hit the young Slayer in the chest. Spike stepped forward and caught her moments before she hit the ground, lifting her up into his arms.

"You stupid bloody poof!" he yelled at Angel, "What the bloody hell did you do that for?" he wanted to know.

"She was getting mad again" his grand-sire pointed out, "It's better this way"

"Better for who?" Spike muttered as he carried Dana out to the waiting secure van. As he watched the professionals strap her down he sighed.

"Started out innocent enough" he said to himself, thinking how she couldn't be much older than Dawnie, and yet she'd been through so much. She was beyond violent, so far out of her mind, she could never be innocent again.

"Guess we all started out that way, once upon time" he realised as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You did good work, Spike" Andrew told him, "But now we'll take over"

"Where will you take her? England?" the vamp checked.

"That's classified" the former-geek said, "Need to know only basis" off Spike's look he sighed, "Yes, okay, England" he admitted, "Buffy's gonna meet us there and..."  
"You got room on the plane for one more?" he asked, looking between Dana's face and Andrew who frowned.

"I don't know if we...You?" he said, a smile forming on his face.

"Yeah" he nodded, "'Bout time I sorted some stuff out with a certain Slayer"

"Oh Spike, that is so great!" Andrew yelled joyously, hugging the bleached blond who pushed him away, a look of clear annoyance on his features, "Er, I mean, that's good" the boy changed tack, trying to seem cool, "You decided that just now? To come with us, I mean"

"Yeah" Spike nodded, glancing back at the unconscious Slayer as she was loaded into the van, "This place is alright but I just...had a little reminder of what I was missing"

The End

A/N2 : This was just one of those things that popped into my head and drove me nuts til I wrote it so, there it is. I'm considering a short sequel with Spike actually seeing Buffy again... Anyway, please review and let me know what you think of this and if you want to see that sequel or not.


End file.
